Achieving Farm Multifunctionality through a Small-Scale Biodiverse, Integrated and Organic (BIO) Method of Farming

Abstract

Growing diverse crops in a 0.2 ha-area had shown that it can continuously provide more than enough food - root crops, vegetables, herbs, spices, medicinal plants and fruits for a family of 6. If the daily harvest is priced using the current market price of organically grown vegetables and fruits, the value of produce would range from P150-300/day or P4,500–P9,000/month. Assigning a monetary value to the health (medicinal) impacts of eating freshly harvested organic fruits and vegetables is difficult. In general, above middle-aged Filipinos spend about P5,000/month or more for maintenance medicines. Added together, this amounts to P9,500 – P 14,000/month earnings or savings. On the implementation side, small-scale bio-farm operations demand adjustments in crop management practices adapted to climate change. Adaptive  crop management practices  include soil conditioning, mulching, crop establishment techniques, use of pre-germinated seedlings planted at various ages, mulching materials (carbonized rice hulls and coconut husks), nature farming preparations, permaculture techniques (maximizing edge effect and zone planting), pest management (use of indigenous microbes, fermented plant juice, crop rotation, recognizing crop seasonality), regular planting of at least one crop species every week and at most one month; and mixed planting of annual and perennial vegetables  jointly contribute to successful harvests on a continuing basis. This decade long experiences of ‘doing and learning’  small-scale farming showed that it can simultaneously achieve farm multifunctionality which includes: the enhancement of ecosystems/environmental services as an adaptive response to climate change;  production of healthy foods at the least costs, producing herbs and medicinal plants; on-farm production fuel for cooking; alternative sport/exercise regime since morning sunshine and fresh air  in the farm is health vigor- gaining or rejuvenating. Implemented on a national scale in both rural and peri-urban landscapes, small-scale farming offers employment and livelihood (economic) that may arrest outmigration leading to urban population congestion problems – waste disposal, illegal occupancy, water shortage, etc. Also, adopted in contiguous landscape of small-scale farms reaching 100 has or more can serve as recreational and agroeco-tourist destinations.